Joshua Dread

Joshua Dread is having a rough year in middle school. Bullies pick on
him, and he seems to be causing pencils to explode, leaving burning
handprints in his wake. To top it off? The supervillains – The Dread
Duo – are his parents, and they're trying to destroy the world.

The
Dread Duo are comically goofball supervillans – they have evil ideas,
but can never quite get their schemes together, and superhero Captain
Justice is always there to foil their plans. When The Dread Duo
threatens to make the weather on Earth completely unbearable unless they
get a plane loaded with $100 bills, Captain Justice makes it look like
they are attacking a bus full of innocent children. At the Vile Fair,
the business expo for supervillains, a surprise attack by indestructible
smoke-shaped beings leaves many villains in danger and missing. When
Joshua’s parents disappear on a mission to obtain some illegal
chemicals, Joshua enlists his best friend Milton and the new girl Sophie
(who has a secret identity) to help keep his parents safe. Short
chapters with cliff-hanger endings and many funny situations will hold
readers’ attention and leave them wanting more.

One of the
appealing aspects of this story is that the heroes and supervillains are
not entirely good or entirely evil. Captain Justice seems to succeed
in spite of himself and comically appears to be more concerned with his
endorsements than protecting the greater good. The Botanist and Dr.
Dread, Joshua’s parents, mean well and are brilliant, but readers will
recognize that their evil plans may not be truly evil. It could just be
that the good guys might actually be the bad guys.

The current
popularity of superheroes on television and in movies will make this
book an easy sell to reluctant readers and to superhero fans, as well.
Easily identifiable characters, fast-paced action and a very clever
storyline will appeal to boys and girls of all ages.

Reviewed by : CTB

Themes : SUPERHEROES, HUMOR, SUSPENSE

If you love this book, then try:

Bachman, Stefan. The Peculiar. Greenwillow Books, 2012.

Creech, Sharon. The Great Unexpected. HarperCollins, 2012.

Kraatz, Jeramey. The Cloak Society. HarperCollins, 2012.

Get this book

Critics have said

"Bacon's deadpan narrative hums along with outrageous details, humor, and action...A hero with a double life and a colossal set of parental issues, Joshua handles zombies, killer robots, and teenage girls without losing his cool. Bacon's affectionately playful take on the superhero genre introduces bombastic personalities without reducing the characters to caricatures."Publisher

Joshua Dread

Joshua Dread is having a rough year in middle school. Bullies pick on
him, and he seems to be causing pencils to explode, leaving burning
handprints in his wake. To top it off? The supervillains – The Dread
Duo – are his parents, and they're trying to destroy the world.

The
Dread Duo are comically goofball supervillans – they have evil ideas,
but can never quite get their schemes together, and superhero Captain
Justice is always there to foil their plans. When The Dread Duo
threatens to make the weather on Earth completely unbearable unless they
get a plane loaded with $100 bills, Captain Justice makes it look like
they are attacking a bus full of innocent children. At the Vile Fair,
the business expo for supervillains, a surprise attack by indestructible
smoke-shaped beings leaves many villains in danger and missing. When
Joshua’s parents disappear on a mission to obtain some illegal
chemicals, Joshua enlists his best friend Milton and the new girl Sophie
(who has a secret identity) to help keep his parents safe. Short
chapters with cliff-hanger endings and many funny situations will hold
readers’ attention and leave them wanting more.

One of the
appealing aspects of this story is that the heroes and supervillains are
not entirely good or entirely evil. Captain Justice seems to succeed
in spite of himself and comically appears to be more concerned with his
endorsements than protecting the greater good. The Botanist and Dr.
Dread, Joshua’s parents, mean well and are brilliant, but readers will
recognize that their evil plans may not be truly evil. It could just be
that the good guys might actually be the bad guys.

The current
popularity of superheroes on television and in movies will make this
book an easy sell to reluctant readers and to superhero fans, as well.
Easily identifiable characters, fast-paced action and a very clever
storyline will appeal to boys and girls of all ages.

Reviewed by: CTB

Themes: SUPERHEROES, HUMOR, SUSPENSE

If you love this book, then try:

Bachman, Stefan. The Peculiar. Greenwillow Books, 2012.

Creech, Sharon. The Great Unexpected. HarperCollins, 2012.

Kraatz, Jeramey. The Cloak Society. HarperCollins, 2012.

Get this book

Critics have said

"Bacon's deadpan narrative hums along with outrageous details, humor, and action...A hero with a double life and a colossal set of parental issues, Joshua handles zombies, killer robots, and teenage girls without losing his cool. Bacon's affectionately playful take on the superhero genre introduces bombastic personalities without reducing the characters to caricatures."Publisher